Martinez, Renfroe lift Red Sox over Royals 6-2 amid delays

BOSTON -- — J.D. Martinez and Hunter Renfroe homered, Martin Perez pitched two-run ball into the sixth inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Wednesday night in a game twice delayed by poor weather.

First pitch was pushed back 41 minutes and umpires stopped play for 1 hour, 56 minutes in the middle of the sixth, but the teams managed to play nine innings.

Perez (6-4) allowed two runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out two.

“Martin was outstanding. He did an outstanding job,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Tough conditions towards the end of his outing.”

He allowed a homer to Salvador Pérez leading off the second. Pérez's homer came during a 4-for-4 night.

“That’s doing it in a big way. Four hits is hard to do,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Perez’s game. “He gave us a good jolt.”

Mike Minor (6-6) gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings.

Martinez hit a three-run homer in the third, his 16th of the season, for a 3-1 lead. Renfroe added a solo shot in the eighth.

Xander Bogaerts and Marwin Gonzalez each had two hits for Boston.

Royals right-hander Richard Lovelady was struck by Martinez's line-drive comebacker in the seventh and left the game. He pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings in his season debut.

“Fortunately, it missed all of the ribs,” Matheny said. “Doctors already checked him out and believe that everything checked out well internally.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (Tommy John surgery) threw live batting practice at Fenway Park. He is expected to go to the team’s spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida, next week and throw another live BP, likely two innings, before potentially starting a minor league rehab assignment. ... RHP Tanner Houck (flexor strain) started for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, going four innings, throwing 67 pitches. ... 1B Bobby Dalbec was out of the starting lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game with right hamstring tightness. He was better, manager Alex Cora said, but not 100%. ... INF Christian Arroyo (right knee contusion) is expected to start a rehab assignment with Worcester on Thursday, serving as the DH.

Royals: Although there is no timetable yet for the return of C Cam Gallagher (right shoulder impingement syndrome), manager Mike Matheny said Gallagher threw “a little bit more” on Tuesday. ... INF Emmanuel Rivera, who made his major league debut on Monday, suffered a left hamate fracture during Tuesday’s game at Boston. He was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. ... INF Nicky Lopez was not in the starting lineup Wednesday, but it was not related to the foul ball he hit off his foot on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

RHP Nathan Eovaldi (8-4, 3.67 ERA) is expected to start the series finale for Boston, opposed by Kansas City’s LHP Kris Bubic (2-3, 4.47 ERA).

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